


Kind of a Big Deal

by RetroLizard



Category: DRAMAtical Murder
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-12
Updated: 2013-11-12
Packaged: 2018-01-01 06:57:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1041765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RetroLizard/pseuds/RetroLizard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A short fic about the first time Aoba heard Mink laugh.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kind of a Big Deal

It wasn't that Mink never laughed. Once in a while he could be seen cracking a grin and chuckling under his breath. It's just that it was usually of the deprecating sort, and usually coming at Aoba's expense. Never before had Aoba seen him _really_ laugh; the good kind of laughter that happens when something is just so damn funny you can't contain yourself.

So why did it have to happen now, of all times?

There'd been a terrible storm last night. The ground was still soaked with rain, and the winds had brought down a lot of branches. Thankfully none were big enough to cause any damage to the house, but it still was quite a mess. So the two of them had spent the morning cleaning up the debris from the yard and front porch.

Aoba carried two huge armfuls of the stuff and threw them down on the pile he'd been making before he brushed off his hands, looking around for more. He spotted an especially large branch. _Good thing that one didn't land on the roof_ , Aoba thought with relief.

"You want any help?" He heard Mink's voice behind him as he went to pick it up.

"Nah, I've got it."

"...It looks kinda heavy."

 _Jeez, how much of a weakling does he think I am?_ "I SAID I've got it," Aoba insisted. Of course, it wasn't until he actually tried lifting the damn thing that he realized he probably did need help with it. Well, too late to go back on it now. His pride wouldn't allow it. He realized with creeping embarrassment that Mink was watching his every move. He summoned every ounce of strength in his body to lift it, struggling not to let it show just how difficult it actually was.

Somehow, miraculously, he'd gotten it off the ground. Shooting a glance in Mink's direction, he saw the other man staring him down curiously, with arms folded and a cocked eyebrow. He dared say Mink looked amused with his plight. "S-see? I told you." Aoba grinned, feeling proud of himself...for a brief, shining moment.

The next second, he took a step, and the next, the ground under his foot suddenly became very slippery. It was one of those awful moments where you know what's coming and you try to compensate for gravity but it only makes it worse, and he could only imagine what a ridiculously clumsy, flailing spectacle he must have been for those few seconds.

Now he found himself face-down in a massive puddle. He couldn't even manage to break his fall with his hands. Nope, no such luck. Sitting up, he looked down at himself with great dismay. His jeans, shirt, and even his hair were all covered in dirt and mud. A loud snort caught his attention.

The instant he looked over at Mink, he felt insult added on to his injury. Mink was laughing. Not a chuckle. Not a little laugh buried under six layers of sarcasm. Full-blown, doubled over, busting-a-fucking-gut laughing. At Aoba, of course.

It was such a foreign sound, for a moment Aoba was confused. As soon as he got over the strangeness of it, he felt his face heat up. "MINK, YOU JERK."

Mink extended a hand to help him up, and offered a few apologies muttered in-between laughs that he failed to hold back, but it didn't lessen Aoba's anger any. Aoba glowered as he trudged back to the house and took off his boots. "Give me your clothes," Mink said. "I'll wash them for you." Aoba's expression softened. He unbuttoned his muddy shirt and handed it over to Mink. Looking him in the face, he held his gaze for a moment. This was kind of a big deal, he was starting to think. Aoba had seen Mink change a lot, and every so often he could still surprise him, but this was definitely a first.

"You...still..." Mink was pointing to his face. Aoba wiped a hand against his own cheek and then looked at it, seeing a dark smudge. Mink turned away and let out another loud snort as he struggled to contain himself. Aoba felt a blush rising to his features again, and furiously kicked Mink right in the rear.

"FUCK YOU."

Yes, it was still a foreign sound, and it was still at Aoba's expense, and right now it was pissing him off immensely. But all the same, he thought, deep down, he couldn't help but like it.


End file.
